The present invention relates generally to hospital equipment and relates more particularly to a transport system for moving patients who are receiving intravenous medication from one or more infusion pumps.
The transport of hospital patients who are receiving intravenous medication has been an awkward and difficult task, usually requiring two or more people. Typically, the medication supply and the infusion pump controlling the intravenous flow are mounted on a separate stand which must be rolled closely adjacent the wheelchair or stretcher on which the patient is carried. The conventional practice is not only hazardous to the patient and the equipment, but in addition is an economic drain because of the number of skilled personnel required.
The patient suffers for a number of reasons with the conventional system. Transport is frequently delayed until a nurse is available to assist the transport aide. In many instances, such a transport from recovery rooms, the patient is experiencing nausea and/or other discomforts and any delay in transport causes unnecessary suffering and anxiety.
A more serious concern is the possibility that an infusion pump may be dropped or separated from the patient so as to cause a discontinuity in the flow of the intravenous solution. The opportunities for such a possibility becoming realized are frequent, considering the turns, ramps, doorways, elevators and congested corridors which usually must be negotiated in the course of a patient transport which might be a city block or more in length. Hospital corridors are often lined with carts and other equipment, and patients being transported often have difficulty passing other patients also undergoing transport. The resultant delays cause added anxiety for the patient, and may even pose fire hazard by completely blocking the corridor to passage by others.
The possibility of damage to equipment with the conventional patient transport practice is a real concern. If the infusion pump is moved on a pump stand, there is a danger of the stand toppling due to its short wheel base and top heavy condition, particularly when negotiating confined areas where engagement with obstructions is likely to trip the legs of the stand. Should the pump be transported by simply resting it on the stretcher or wheelchair, an even greater likelihood exists of the pump falling as the patient is moved around corners, moved along ramps or across uneven elevator threshholds or subjected to abrupt stopping or starting movements.
Although ideally a transport aide alone should be able to transport a patient from one point in a hospital to another, if accessories such as infusion pumps or oxygen systems are involved, one or more additional people, usually nurses, are typically involved in the transport. The use of nurses for such duty is an inefficient use of skilled staff time. With the current shortage of nurses and considering their relatively high hourly cost to the hospital, it does not make economic sense to employ nurses for routine patient transport.
With the present system, the infusion pump is safely secured by means of a bracket to a support element on the patient's wheelchair or stretcher during transport, eliminating the need for separate roller stands. Extra personnel are not needed, even if several in fusion pumps are involved, and the majority of patient transports can be handled by a single transport aide. Pump support elements compatible with the bracket at fixed locations or on portable devices permit the rapid transfer of the patient and pump to or from the wheelchair or stretcher.